


The Sapphire Heart

by Pelydryn



Series: Synchrony [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Creepy, Dark, Dark Merlin, Enemies to Lovers, Episode: s02e01 The Curse of Cornelius Sigan, Extremely Dubious Consent, Inspired by Art, M/M, Porn With Plot, Pornalot, Possible Character Death, Rape/Non-con Elements, based on art by whimsycatcher, enchanted!merlin, pornalot bonus challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 10:33:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11689839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pelydryn/pseuds/Pelydryn
Summary: "... join me. Together, we can rule over this land. Arthur will tremble at your voice. He will kneel at your feet!"Sigan presents Merlin an offer that is hard to refuse. Unfortunately, he is not playing fair.





	The Sapphire Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [whimsycatcher](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whimsycatcher/gifts).



> This is a bonus entry for [Pornalot](http://pornalot.livejournal.com/) Week One. It is based off of whimsycatcher's [drawing](http://whimsycatcher.tumblr.com/post/163777902223) and written with her permission.

He had sensed it calling for days, now. Not quite a voice, not even a whisper… more of a warped thread of energy, a wisp of ethereal blue poison, seeping into his veins, slowly accumulating in his heart like stains in a kettle after the pure water had boiled away. It pulsed, almost in time with his heartbeat, but ever-so-slightly out of sync. He found his balance off, appetite poor, focus diminished. But it was… pleasing. It enticed with hints of power, of strength, of glory. It reverberated through his body like thunder in the mountains: not loud so much as prolonged; low vibrations that echoed long after they should have been extinguished. 

Instead, the call steadily increased. It had been there even before the night the traps in Sigan’s tomb had proven deadly, but now— Now it swelled, a storm building, the thunder rumbling ever closer. When Cedric had appeared, the pulsing of the poison had accelerated, trying to pull his real heartbeat with it. He felt flushed, no matter how chilly the room; strands of heat creeped under the surface of his skin searching for a home. They were not unwelcome. The energy passed through in waves, leaving his muscles tingling and relaxed. He looked forward to the swells of power, for after the climax he would be overcome by a peace that bordered on euphoria. 

Cedric proved an oily worm, sneaking into Arthur's affections through deceit and manipulation. It angered Merlin, to see how easily Arthur tossed him away, how eager the prince was to believe a stranger's lies if they served to make his idiot servant look bad. Did Arthur disdain him so much that he would look for any excuse to treat him like the contents of yesterday's chamberpot? 

Merlin burned with fury, but at the same time, the energy grew, a shiver of excitement settling into his muscles, sinking into the marrow of his bones, interrupting his anger with bouts of occasional euphoria. He almost grew accustomed to the feeling of wrongness that was his heart constantly trying to synchronize with a pulse slightly ahead of his own. His anger seemed to live in the gap between the two asynchronous beats, growing, swelling, blossoming like the spiky-petalled belladonna that he so often collected. His favourite blooms had always been those that were a deep, penetrating blue, blue as the energy that he now welcomed into his body. For when he closed his eyes, he could see the sapphire shade swirling around him, eliciting tiny shudders of delight as it pulsed, ever stronger, never ceasing. 

The night that Arthur's keys had been stolen, dark dreams wrapped Merlin in their loving arms and wouldn't let him go. In the morning he woke covered with sweat, pants damp from where his dreams must have taken a more erotic turn. But the memories fluttered away as soon as he opened his eyes. All that remained was the vaguest recollection of black feathers vanishing into a blue-tinged fog. 

After that night, things changed. His anger spiked, but it was directed only towards Arthur, Arthur the clotpole who did not value him, Arthur the prat who so easily cast him away. No matter that Merlin had repeatedly tried to give his life for Arthur. Two sides of one coin? In that case, the coin must be rusted through, for Merlin's golden prince was tarnished. 

Cedric, on the other hand… Merlin felt seized with the desire to touch him. Somehow he knew—the pulsing energy promised—that if he could just reach out and place the palm of his hand flat on Cedric's skin, he would uncover the secrets of the universe. Those secrets whispered to him, reeling him ever closer. They spoke of power, of pleasure, of dominion over all. When he shook his head, not happy with that thought, the words changed. Now they intimated at other things: Respect. Appreciation. Love. 

Just think… Think of your golden prince. How you desire his approval. But he will never see you the way we see you… If he knew who you truly were, he would condemn you to the flames… All he sees is a lazy, incompetent servant. How can he can respect a snake crawling in the dirt? 

You are as nothing to him. Come with us… we will show you great things…

Merlin stumbled through his day in a fog. The waves of energy that passed through left his body in a constant state of arousal. At some point, without him being quite aware of when, his cock had hardened, and he couldn't help but long for more. What exactly that would entail, he wasn't sure. But he was overwhelmed with unfulfilled want. 

As his arousal grew, so did his anger, ever more, ever burning. 

Arthur was the target of his ire. Couldn't the turniphead see that Merlin was being set up? And despite Merlin's lack of focus and perverted obsession with the secrets under Cedric's skin, a part of him still cared enough about Camelot to try and alert Arthur to the pending danger. 

But Arthur, of course, would not listen. When did he ever listen to Merlin? Certainly never when it mattered. 

Merlin ached to pound sense into the prat, just this once. Instead he took his fury out on Cedric. Cedric, who was a thief. Cedric, who was possessed. Cedric, who he still longed to touch. A scuffle in front of the prince wasn't ideal. But that first touch—it sizzled. Even as they tumbled to the floor together, he felt the shocks, static electricity jumping from skin to skin, a small blue spark with each contact, tingling and spreading tendrils of heat into his body, tiny patches of warmth coalescing till he thought it might burn him alive from the inside out. 

Arthur sent him to the cells to cool off. But instead he burnt, heat and desire rampaging through his body, pulsing, always pulsing, always just off of his own heartbeat. How he longed to synchronize them… how he longed to give in to the call, the ever-present compulsion. But he knew not how. 

He must have dozed, fitfully, the heat in his body thrumming even as he dreamed of hands and feathers, touching, rubbing, stroking. Words echoed in the empty spaces of his chest cavity. _Ic cume eft to Camelot. Swá þæt ic mæg min fæhþ awrecan! Nu 'ic lybbe ece and ic mæg rædan min burh!_ Each word seared itself into the surface of his heart. When he closed his eyes, he could see his heart pounding under his ribs, glowing blue, with indigo tendrils of magic creeping through the chambers, filling them up drip by scintillating drip. 

He woke abruptly in the throes of orgasm, cock pulsing in time to the foreign heartbeat. His body spasmed and shuddered. Sweat poured from him in rivulets, and he tingled all over. 

For a moment, one blessed moment, he lay at peace. The inferno inside calmed, a gentle wildfire instead of the flames of hell. His breath came in short pants, then slowly spaced themselves back into a semblance of normal respiration. 

In the space between his breaths, a new sound emerged, but this one was external, beyond the thumping of his heart. Growls, screams, the clang of metal. Chaos. Adrenaline coursed into his body, chasing away the languor that had overtaken him. He worried for Camelot, feared for his friends, but, incongruously, delight wormed its way in amongst the anxiety. At last, at last, his moment had come. 

The moment for _what_ was a question lost in the maelstrom raging through his body. The inferno had returned, pumping its warped energy through his veins, settling in his groin, burning, burning, always burning. 

He barely recalled spelling the door to his cell open. It was all as if in a dream: the beasts ravaging the city, townspeople dead and dying, the knights in disarray. And then Arthur, his prince, his destiny, the man that he would die for, the prat that he had once thought he loved. Brave, foolish Arthur, who sent his men to retreat and stayed to face the creature alone. In other circumstances, Merlin’s heart would have swelled with admiration and pride. 

But now a litany of words pulsed through him, in time to his second heartbeat: _Useless_. Lub-dub. _Buffoon_. Lub-dub. _Worthless_. Lub-dub. _Idiot_. Lub-dub. 

And yet… there was still a connection there, a thread between them not yet broken. So when the gargoyle attacked and Arthur was knocked unconscious, Merlin did as he had always done: use his magic to secretly save the prince. No recognition, no honour, no reward, only the knowledge that if he were caught, he could expect nothing better than a quick death. If particularly unlucky, he might be brutally tortured before being burnt alive on the pyre. The king did love to make an example. And if someone as insinuated into the royal household as Merlin were revealed as a sorcerer? Truthfully, he would be lucky if he managed to avoid the torture and just went straight to being incinerated alive. 

Arthur might not condone torture, but he would not stop the execution. 

The litany of words grew stronger in his mind: _Sorcerer_. Lub-dub. _Liar_. Lub-dub. _Traitor_. Lub-dub. _Evil_. Lub-dub. 

The blue-tinged fog swirled and billowed. The moist air was heavy with anticipation, frigid on his skin even as fire burned within. 

And then a figure emerged from the shadows. 

Merlin's head was fuzzy, confused. He remembered a conversation with Gaius, about how his magic would not be strong enough to defeat Sigan. How he should go to the Great Dragon to ask for help. But he had been preoccupied, lost in a world of feeling, of relentless heat and asynchronous pulsing. Of unwarranted delight infusing itself into his heart, glowing a brilliant blue against the encroaching darkness. 

Merlin had not gone to the Dragon. 

And now Sigan himself stood before him. It was clear in the way Cedric moved with arrogance and pride: that body no longer belonged to a rat-like thief. It was now possessed by a cunning intelligence, wearing power around it like a garment. 

Sigan looked to Arthur, crumpled on the ground, and raised a hand threateningly. Merlin moved as if through treacle, a fierce battle being waged in his soul. Arthur was his destiny, Arthur would see him dead, Arthur was everything, Arthur thought he was nothing.

But finally he managed to grind out a spell. “ _Astrice_!”

The magic was easily deflected by Sigan. It had been a pitiful attempt, really. Half-hearted. Weak. 

He was as useless as Arthur always said he was. 

A chilling laugh filled the courtyard. It echoed in time to the pulsing energy that had become a second, sickening, heartbeat. Yet Merlin found it unexpectedly comforting. He was not alone. 

“Who would've believed it? You, a sorcerer, and a powerful one.” Cedric's voice was different now, resounding with power. “I felt your power, little one, even as I lay so cruelly entombed.” 

The heat in Merlin's body began to boil, painful but welcome, excessive heat that would drive out the chill of the icy fog. His skin erupted in gooseflesh. 

No matter. Focus. This was important. He must focus. 

“I won't let you hurt him.”

“And you're going to stop me?” The voice was mocking, but not unkind. Sigan stepped closer, a shuffle at a time. 

“I'll stop you.” Even as he said the words, the confusion began to overwhelm him. Stop him from what? The pulsing of the foreign energy inside him roared to a crescendo, words buffeting his memory. 

_Useless_. Lub-dub. 

_Buffoon_. Lub-dub. 

“He does not deserve your loyalty. He treats you like a slave.”

“That's not true.”

 _Worthless_. Lub-dub. 

_Idiot_. Lub-dub. 

“He cast you aside without a moment's thought.”

“That doesn't matter.” Did it? Did it matter? And what of Merlin? Did he matter in any of this? 

“But it must hurt so much to be so put upon, so overlooked, when all the while you have such power.”

 _Sorcerer_. Lub-dub. 

_Liar_. Lub-dub. 

“That's the way it has to be.” 

“Does it? You're young, Merlin. Look inside yourself. You have yet to discover your true power. I can help you. Think, Merlin. To have the world appreciate your greatness. To have Arthur know you for what you are.”

 _Traitor_. Lub-dub. 

_Evil_. Lub-dub. 

“That can never be.”

“It can, if you join me. Together we can rule over this land. Arthur will tremble at your voice, he will kneel at your feet.”

“I don't wa—

But even as his mouth opened to say the words, to deny Sigan’s claims, a wave of heat rose from his groin, scalding, relentless. It filled him with such desire. It was so intense that he struggled to remain standing. His organs must have all turned to ashes or melted into his blood. He whimpered and groaned as the sensation overwhelmed him. 

“Come, Merlin. See how you desire that which I offer. I can give you the world, lay all its denizens at your feet. I will teach you the secrets of magic. Together nothing will stop us. Magic will be free.…

“Come to me, and I will show you the way…”

Sigan’s voice was refreshing, cool water that chased the pleasure-pain of the pulsing heat from his body. Merlin edged closer, rejoicing in the relief that each step brought him. Once he was close enough, he raised his arm carefully. He was entranced: he knew the secrets of the universe would be revealed if only he could touch. He knew he would be at peace. He slowly stretched out his arm… knowing it was wrong, but also knowing there was nothing else that he wanted more. 

Sigan held still, a wry grin on his face. “You must be sure. There is no going back.” 

Merlin's body shuddered with unfulfilled want, desire and lust so strong that he could think of nothing except the knowledge that relief was at hand. 

He gently laid the palm of his hand against Sigan’s cheek. As Merlin pressed in to the flesh, searching for secrets, searching for relief, a jolt of electricity arced from Sigan into Merlin's body. This was no tiny shock such as he had felt when tackling Cedric earlier. This was lightning, racing through his tissues, searching out his most intimate places. It sizzled along his cock, which went from moderately excited to ready to explode in an instant. 

The lightning struck his heart full on. His heartbeat stuttered, stopped… and then was caught up in the rhythm of the pulsing energy. At last! At last the two heartbeats were synchronized, singing together as one. Currents of blue energy swirled out of the fog, linking Merlin’s heart to Sigan’s. Joy overwhelmed him. He rejoiced in their synchrony, in their oneness. This is what two sides of a coin should feel like. He had finally found his true destiny. 

His vision dimmed, and he was lost to a world of sensations. Cool air ghosted along his burning skin, and it was the sweetest bliss. He felt light, free, uninhibited. His clothing had evaporated in the barrage of lightning, and now pure magic ran over his body, searching, exploring, caressing, supporting. He grew weak and found strong arms there to lift him up. All vision was now gone, but oh, how he could feel. The silky touch of hundreds of feathers wrapped around him. He luxuriated in it. Never had he felt so very alive. 

An intoxicating voice whispered in his ear. “I felt your power calling to me… so sweet… so pure… For days it called, taunting me with its nearness. I knew I had to have you.”

Magic swirled around his naked body, touching, petting, feeling, exploring. Sometimes it was almost like fingers, other times the silky-smooth graze of feathers. He was too far gone in the sensations to think about it. It sucked at his nipples, leaving them tight, every pull sending electricity straight to his cock. But there was a squeezing there, at the base, pressure that would not allow him to spend. It was agonizing, the sweetest of tortures, driving him ever farther into the sensations, ever farther from the memories of who he had been. His old self, the boy bearing a destiny too great for one man alone… that Merlin was no more. He was no longer alone. Their two hearts beat as one. The secrets of the universe had finally been revealed: Desire. Pleasure. Ecstasy. 

But that last was only a promise. The magic kept him on the edge, buzzing with want, panting with desire. It burned him all over, the need for release from the intensity of the sensations. His body seemed naught more than a distant memory now. All of his awareness, all of his magic, was soaring through a burning sky, crows fluttering all around him, cackling in triumph. 

“Please…” he whispered, desperate for an escape. Tears leaked from his eyes and dripped into the blazing void. A silky-feathered bird pressed against his cheek and lapped at his tears. 

The voice that he now knew belonged to his beloved whispered kindly, “What do you need, my sweet?” 

“Please… please…” But he didn't even know what he wanted anymore. “Please…”

He must be shining like the sun now, so much fire burned within. It would incinerate him so thoroughly not even ashes could remain. 

“Please…”

“Of course, my love.” His beloved’s voice curled around him, soothing the fires just enough for him to breathe. “I just need you to do one thing for me first…”

“Anything…” 

He wasn't even sure that he spoke aloud, as his voice must have burned away with the rest of him. But his beloved was generous; his beloved would save him. 

“Come back to me, my sweet.”

He had a body again. He opened his eyes to see the icy fog swirling around him. It was a glorious relief, though did nothing to quench the searing within. Black feathered wings were wrapped around him, holding him up from behind. He turned his head, seeing the face of his beloved. He whimpered like a mewling kitten but was beyond caring. 

“Oh, you lovely, sweet thing. So good for me. Let me give you a taste of your reward…”

And then lips were on his, kissing, devouring, sending electricity racing along every nerve, incinerating everything in its path. 

Merlin tried to scream, but could not, for he was being destroyed with a kiss. And then… oh gods… the lips pulled away, and he was still alive, still alive… Magic ran over the surface of his body in waves, soothing but providing no relief. 

He sobbed, but didn't know if it were from ecstasy or despair. 

“Please…” 

“Raise your hand, my love.”

Merlin raised his hand… anything, anything, he would do anything…

“Now kill Arthur Pendragon. And I will make everything better.”

Merlin startled, having forgotten the existence of other people. But he looked, eyes seeing clearly in a way he never had been before. They saw a world that was irrevocably changed. 

Arthur stood in front of him, sword in hand, horrified look on his face. He appeared to be screaming, but no sound reached Merlin's ears, nothing apart from gentle encouragements from his beloved. 

“He is nothing, my sweet, nothing more than an evil that would extinguish the very existence of magic… You are pure magic, my love, magic incarnate. He would see you erased from this world. He would light your pyre and laugh with the joy of it.”

All relief had vanished. Merlin was burning, suffering, dying. Magic ran over him, under, through… it wrapped round his cock and slithered up into his passage, pulsing, rubbing, stretching…

“Kill him, my love. Kill him now, and I will take care of you.”

Their shared heartbeat pounded, faster, faster… he could not endure any more. 

He was barely aware of his intention till it was done. 

“ _Ástríce_!”

Arthur crumpled to the ground. 

The magic inside of Merlin roared in delight. It found a spot deep inside and ravaged it. The pressure on his cock released, and Merlin's world exploded.

**Author's Note:**

> There should be a second entry to the series eventually...


End file.
